Just Try
by Ms.Stery
Summary: Derek, Penelope, and JJ go on a trip. Something is wrong with JJ. Penelope is determined to fix it. Rated T, just in case.


**Okay, so my writing teach showed me this insanely cool story, so I decided to try something like it. I got kind of excited and wrote it really fast during class, then finished it at home, so it might have grammatical errors. It's not nearly as good as my teach's, but hey, I gave it my best. Read and review, please!**

-:-

It was a Friday. A very boring Friday, at that. Penelope, Derek and JJ were squeezed into Penelope's office, making small talk and doing paperwork. 

"Let's go to Vegas!" Penelope exclaimed.

JJ laughed. "What do you mean?"

"Let's go to Vegas! Right now. It's Friday. The three of us could take a trip to Vegas this weekend."

"You're crazy, Pen." JJ responded, shaking her head.

"Ah, who am I kidding? We couldn't go this weekend…I guess I'm just bored. I wish we could do something spontaneous." Garcia said.

"Baby girl, we both know that this isn't the job and lifestyle for random vacations." Morgan pointed out. "But I'll make you a deal. Make it though the end of winter and the spring and the first week of summer, you, Jayje and I can actually go for Vegas for a three nights. Hotch wouldn't mind if we took a couple nights off."

Penelope's eyes lit up. "Really?"

JJ smiled. "Sure, I could use a wild trip to Vegas."

"You guys promise?" Garcia asked, eyes wide.

"Anything for you, baby girl." Derek confirmed.

A grin spread across Penelope's face and she swiveled her chair around, waking up one of her computers and typing furiously. "In that case, my fine friends, we have a lot of planning to do."

The three of them sat there happily planning every detail together, their paperwork long forgotten. They got more excited with each night they planned. It was going to be perfect.

-:-

Five months later, it was time to go. However, things had changed since that January night and JJ no longer had a desire to go along. She no longer needed a "wild trip to Vegas".

"Come on, JJ. I understand, but…we promised." Morgan had said when JJ expressed how she was tired and didn't want to go.

"Yeah, you guys promised." Whined Penelope, worried their trip was ruined.

JJ sighed. "Fine."

"JJ…" Morgan began, seeing the sad look on the blondes' face.

"I said fine!" JJ snapped. "See you tomorrow."

Morgan and Garcia watched as the blonde storm out and hoped things would get better.

-:-

The next morning, they met at the BAU, where they planned to take a cab to the airport. Morgan was there, ready and on-time. He sat by his desk and waited. He looked around the bullpen. Emily sat at her desk, flipping through some papers. Morgan could tell she wasn't reading them at all. Reid was gone, he was taking some time off as well. Hotch was making his way down the steps to say goodbyes. Rossi was in his office. Eventually, JJ languidly walked into the BAU, her mood obvious just from the way she held herself. Penelope saw JJ come in through the front doors and she walked behind her.

"Hello." Hotch greeted. JJ just stared at him, her expression blank.

"You're late." Morgan accused, softly.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't exactly in a rush. I don't want to go, remember?" She replied snarkily.

Penelope sighed. Why did he have to point out the obvious? It was just asking for JJ to blow up on him.

Morgan sighed, deciding to ignore that. "The cab's here."

"I'm gonna go put my stuff in there." JJ mumbled before pivoting and marching out.

"Has she been like that all week?" Hotch asked.

"Yes." Penelope said, quietly.

"All week? More like for the past three months. She's killing me." Morgan complained, sounding more sad than angry. "I don't know what to do."

"Neither do I." Penelope whispered.

"No one does." Hotch admitted. "Just go on the trip. Make the best of it. And…take care of JJ, okay?"

"Will do, man." Derek said. "See ya."

Derek grabbed his bags and made his was out. "Bye, Hotch." Penelope called before following him.

-:-

The cab ride was silent. Both Derek and JJ shoved headphones in their ears, turned up the volume and stared out the windows silently.

Penelope watched them and frowned. This wasn't how she wanted her trip to go.

"Come on, guys. Don't do this. This is an adventure!" She finally pleaded, breaking the silence.

The two just continued listen to music and to stare out the windows, unmoving. Penelope knew they didn't hear her. She sighed, not bothering to repeat herself. She just wished they would get excited already. This was their trip! Full of wild, spontaneous, fun. Hopefully the plane would get them more in the mood.

-:-

Hotch was glad that they decided to take a vacation (he thought everyone could use one) and had offered up the Jet. Penelope thought the fact that they were on the Jet and not flying to out to look at dead bodies might bring some cheerfulness and maybe even get everyone in a better mood. She was wrong.

As soon as they boarded the ever-familiar Jet, JJ sat down in the very back with her eyes closed. Morgan sighed and plopped down on the couch. Penelope sat next to him. Morgan just stared off into space.

"Ooh, guys! We're taking off. Our first step on our trip!" Penelope announced happily as the plane began to whirr underneath her.

Nobody said a word. Penelope could tell Morgan wished JJ had. But JJ hadn't even opened her eyes.

Penelope just sat on the couch and pouted. It was going to take more than a lift-off to get her friends in the Vegas-mood.

-:-

The plane landed and Morgan stood up. "We're here." He announced.

Penelope stood up and squealed, overjoyed that the trip was actually starting.

JJ opened her eyes and walked straight off the Jet. "I know." She said as she passed.

The smile dropped off Penelope's face. She had hoped that maybe, just maybe, that arriving at the destination would make JJ less…tired and even a little excited. She knew that if JJ perked up, even a little, Morgan would too. But no. Penelope held in a groan. She loved JJ but sometimes, she was so difficult.

-:-

They got to the hotel and checked in, still remaining silent. As they headed up to their room, Penelope saw the big flashy sign for a fancy restaurant.

She ran ahead and pointed to it excitedly. "Look!"

Morgan stopped in front of the entryway. He looked at JJ. "Maybe we should…"

"No." JJ deadpanned.

"Jayje…" Morgan said.

"Don't call me that." JJ snapped.

Morgan sighed. "Fine, JJ, it's on the original itinerary. It's what we planned."

Penelope smiled. "He's right! It's what we planned."

JJ stood there for a long moment, considering it. "Okay." She finally said, surprising both Penelope and Morgan.

"Let's get ready, then." Morgan announced.

Penelope sighed, content. At least they were sticking to the plan.

-:-

Once everyone was all dressed up, they went down to the restaurant. Penelope admired how great her friends looked as they sat down. Morgan looked incredibly handsome and JJ looked stunning. JJ used to love getting dressed formally. She and Penelope used to shop for hours when they had an excuse to get all dolled up. Now, even though JJ looked beautiful in a navy dress and heels, Penelope could tell she was uncomfortable. It made her sad to see that something that used to make JJ smile, now made her cringe.

Dinner was quiet. Not completely silent, but quiet. There wasn't any snappy remarks or hurtful words exchanged. Penelope thought that progress was being made. That is, until dessert. Morgan had whispered to the waiter when he asked if they wanted a dessert. A few minutes later, the waiter arrived with a large slice of cheesecake and some forks.

"I love cheesecake." Penelope said, cheerily. Derek knew her so well.

"Why would you order that?" JJ asked, her eyes cold.

"JJ, it's Penelope's trip. And she loves it. You used to love it to." Morgan said.

"Don't tell me what I like." JJ scolded.

"JJ…" Morgan pleaded.

"I'm not hungry." JJ stated, pushing back her chair and fleeing the resturaunt.

"Go after her." Penelope suggested. "She needs you."

But Morgan just bitterly took a bite of the cake. His face crumpled and he spit it out into his napkin. It tasted like paper.

Penelope considered following JJ herself, but she knew she there wasn't much she could do. She watched as Morgan paid the bill, wishing she knew what to do to fix this. But no matter how long she thought, she couldn't think of a single thing.

-:-

When they got back to the room, the shower was running. Derek sat down on an overstuffed chair, closing his eyes and rubbing his head. He stayed there for a while, unmoving, before speaking.

"Baby girl, what am I supposed to do?" He asked, sounding more stressed than he had in a long time.

Penelope shook her head. "You were doing so well…just keep trying. Please. Just keep trying."

Derek just put his head in his hands. Penelope could tell by his expression that he was getting tired of trying. He no longer looked frustrated or pleading. He just looked tired. Penelope immediately felt guilt surge through her entire body. Sometimes, she was so focused on JJ and how she was suffering, that she forgot about her chocolate god. Just because he mighty and strong didn't mean he wasn't suffering, too.

JJ walked into the room wearing a long sleeved shirt and shorts. Her hair was wet. She immediately plopped down into the bed that she had claimed hers. Derek lifted his head, but by the time he was looking at JJ, her eyes were closed. He sighed, grabbed his bag of toiletries and clothes and ambled into the bathroom. Penelope just sat by the window, enjoying the view. It was late now, but that hardly meant the city was dark. The whole town was lit up, flashing and bustling. It was beautiful. But here they were, in the room, instead of all this. In fact, Penelope was the only one to even look at the city. She heard Derek emerge from the bathroom.

"This city is gorgeous, Morgan. I know you want to explore it. Try to get out tomorrow. Go by the original plan." Penelope pleaded.

Morgan came and stood by her, taking in the view. Penelope stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. They stayed there for a long time.

-:-

Morning came too quick for everyone. As the light shone in through the curtains, everyone just laid in their beds, unwilling to move. Finally, Morgan stood.

"Let's grab a quick breakfast and head out. We're supposed to go to Paris Las Vegas. See the Eiffel Tower. Sound good?" Morgan asked, trying to sound cheery.

"Sounds good to me!" Penelope exclaimed, excited.

Maybe things would turn around today.

"I'm not going." JJ announced, getting out of bed.

Or not.

"JJ. Please. Can we just stick to the original plan?" Morgan pleaded, his eyes exhausted.

"Forget the original plan! God, Morgan, haven't you noticed things have changed?" JJ yelled, tears filling her eyes. "Stop it. Okay? Just stop it. This whole thing is stupid anyways!"

JJ walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She knew she was being immature, but she couldn't help it.

"Morgan! Follow her." Penelope cried.

Morgan just sighed and got ready for the day. He went to the gym and just wandered around the hotel area the whole day, Penellope tagging along and fretting about the whereabouts of JJ. As the sun began to set, they walked back into the hotel. When he got into the room, he could hear JJ was in the bathroom.

Just as he was untying his shoes, JJ walked of the restroom. He blonde hair was curled, eyes were lined and shadowed quite dark and blood red lipstick covered her lips. She wore a tiny dark purple slip dress and heels higher than Morgan had ever seen her wear.

"Jayje." Penelope stated, her heart shattering.

"I'm leaving. I'll be back later." She stated, striding towards the door.

Morgan's anger got the best of him. "You aren't going anywhere."

"Who are you to tell me?" JJ retorted, seething.

"Listen to me, JJ…" Morgan started, but JJ cut him off.

"No." She stated simply before ripping open the door and walking out.

"Morgan!" Penelope panicked. "She can't go anywhere like that! Not alone. Go after her."

Morgan stood there listening to her heels clack down the hall and contemplating his options. Thankfully, he picked the right one. He grabbed his jacket and ran after JJ, swearing under his breath.

-:-

They returned half an hour later, both obviously pissed.

"God, JJ. Why do you have to make things so damn hard?" Derek asked, pacing.

"I'm not making anything hard. I've made it very clear that I've changed. You're the one who tries to pretend like everything's okay." She shot back.

"I do not." Morgan stated, his voice small.

"Then why are we on this trip?" JJ asked him, daring him to come up with an answer. When none came, she smirked. Not because she was happy at all, but because she finally made him realize. "Yeah. And it's not okay. So face it."

"At least I'm trying. At least I don't sulk around all day and go out looking like a hooker. That's just asking for bad things." Morgan replied, his voice rising.

"Bad things have already happened to me, Morgan. And you. It's not going to get better!" JJ said, unshed tears shining I her eyes.

Penelope watched on, feeling terrible.

Morgan's expression softened. "JJ. I know bad things have happened. But you distancing yourself isn't helping."

He grabbed her hands. JJ struggled to get free, but well…Morgan was strong.

Finally, she stopped, staring at him, black trails of mascara running down her cheeks.

"I've already lost Penelope. I don't think I could handle losing my other favorite blonde." He said, slowly and genuinely.

And that's when JJ cracked.

She collapsed into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Why was it her, Morgan? Why her? It could've been me. I was right there. I could've seen them coming. I could've swerved or something." JJ cried, referring to the drunk driver that hit her and Penelope, three months prior.

Penelope felt her heart leap and fall at the same time. This is what she had been waiting for. She needed them to open up. She needed them to support one another. She needed them to move on. As she watched her two best friends hug, she felt a longing to be there with them. To _really _be there. To hold them one more time and tell them she was sorry for causing them so much pain. To tell them she didn't blame JJ one bit. To say that she loved them. But she couldn't.

It was time for her to go.

She didn't want to, but she knew she had been given a blessing to be able to be here and she shouldn't abuse it. Penelope took one long last look at her two best friends, holding each other and crying, preparing to leave. Only this time when she left, she knew they would be okay. She knew they had each other to take care of each other. She knew they wouldn't grieve alone.

And then, Penelope left.

**Okay, so that's that. If you didn't understand, Penelope was dead (from a car accident that JJ survived) the whole time, except the very first scene, which was before the accident. She could see and hear them, but no one could see or hear her. I didn't know how obvious/unobvious it was. I gave little hints, but tried to keep it a secret until the end. I'm considering doing an epilogue-ish, second chapter to explain the accident and what else happened, but I'm not sure. What did you think? Did you figure it out ahead of time? Was it too confusing? Let me know, please! Oh, and thank you to everyone who reviewed "Reid's Suspicions". It seriously made my day! :)**


End file.
